Surgical drape

ABSTRACT

A surgical drape for use in orthopedic and related surgery comprising a flexible and unitary sheet having a main portion and two adjacent wing portions whose inner edges, preferably spaced one from the other, define therebetween an elongated slit or gap. One of the wing portions has secured thereto a flap-like sheet which, when the drape is used in a surgical procedure, is foldable to cover at least a portion of the gap and lie in at least partial overlapping relationship with the other of said wing portions. The drape is readily foldable into a compact unit which permits it to be easily and quickly unfolded and applied to a patient prior to surgery.

United States Patent 1191 Miller Oct. 7, 1975 1 SURGICAL DRAPE 3,826,2537/1974 Larsh et a1 128/132 D [75] Inventor. Shirley A. Miller, Loveland,Oh1o Primary Examiner Lawrence W pp [73] Assignee: Johnson & Johnson,New

Brunswick, NJ. [57] ABSTRACT 22 Filed; 12 1974 A surgical drape for usein orthopedic and related surgery comprising a flexible and unitarysheet having a [21] Appl' 532,283 main portion and two adjacent wingportions whose inner edges, preferably spaced one from the other, de- 52us. c1 128/132 1) fine therehetween an elongated Slit or r One of the51] Int. Cl. A61F 13/00 Wing Portions has seeured thereto a psheet 58Field of Search 12s/132-135, which, when the drape is used in a surgicalProcedure, 2 292 is foldable to cover at least a portion of the gap andlie in at least partial overlapping relationship with the 5 ReferencesCited other of said wing portions. The drape is readily fold- UNITEDSTATES PATENTS able into a compact unit which permits it to be easilyand quickly unfolded and applied to a patient prior to 1,724,443 8/1929Wheeler 128/132 D Surgery 2,593,121 4/1952 DJOI'UP 3,669,106 6/1972Schrading et a1. 128/132 D 16 Claims, 20 Drawing Figures U.S. PatentOct. 7,1975 Sheet 1 of3 3,910,268

5 Q mm US. Patent Oct. 7,1975

Sheet 2 0f 3 rlq- 5 64) 74 f a; I Hi u.. ML

5AM FIT Sheet 3 of 3 3,910,268

U.S. Patent 0 7,1975

SURGICAL DRAPE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relatesbroadly to surgical cover means. In particular, the invention relates tonew and improved surgical drapes of the type which comprise a flexiblesheethaving a main portion and wing portions whose inner edges define aslit or gap (hereinafter "gap for convenience) which extends inwardlyfrom an outer edge of the drape. Such drapes are especially useful inorthopedic surgery. neurosurgery, and similar surgical procedures.

In preparing for orthopedic and related surgery it is common practice tocover the patient and operating table with a sterile drape, or drapes,in such a way that only the limb (or portions of the limb) on whichsurgery is to be performed is presented to the surgeon and hisassistants.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART One drape that has been provided fororthopedic and similar surgery comprises a sterile sheet having a mainportion and an elongated gap extending outwardly from a central regionthereof to an outer edge to provide two spaced wing portions. Suchdrapes are frequently referred to as split sheet" drapes.

One draping procedure for using these drapes involves raising thepatients limb and putting it through the gap in the sheet in such a waythat, when the draping is completed, the limb on which the operation isto be performed extends through the gap and lies on the upper surface ofthe main portion of the drape. The wing portions of the drape are thendisposed to overlie parts of the patients body at a region adjacent theoperative site.

It is necessary, of course, to insure that a sterile surgical field beprovided at the outset of the surgical procedure and that the integrityof the sterile field be maintained until the surgical procedure iscompleted. In order to establish the sterile field and to prevent thecontamination thereof in the event the wing portions of the split sheetshould slip or he accidentally moved during surgery, it has been foundnecessary, prior to place-.

ment of the split sheet, to cover the patient with an auxiliary surgicaldrape. The auxiliary drape is placed over that portion of the patientsbody which will underlie the gap in the split sheet when the latter hasbeen positioned.

The need for using such auxiliary drapes represents an inconvenience tothe operating room staff in that at least two drapes must be handled andput into position. Furthermore. the use of two or more drapes increasesthe time that must be devoted to the draping procedure andcorrespondingly delays the start of the surgical procedure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention thereis provided an improved surgical drape for use in orthopedic and similarsurgery which eliminates the need for the aforementioned auxiliarydrape. The drape of the present invention thus simplifies the drapingprocedure, saves valuable time. and reduces costs.

The improved drape of the invention comprises a flexible unitary sheet,suitably of a plastic film or a woven or nonwoven fabric, having a mainportion and two wing portions. The inner edges of the wing portionsdefine an elongated gap which extends inwardly of the drape from anouter edge thereof. Attached to one of the wing portions, preferably atthe inner edge thereof adjacent the gap, is a flap-like sheet of woven,nonwoven, plastic or similar material which is adapted to overlie theaforesaid gap when the drape is in use. The flap-like sheet of materialmay be extended across the gap, or a part thereof, to lie in overlappingrelationship with the other of the two wing portions comprising thesheet. The flap-like sheet is wide enough to cover the width of the gapand at least part of the upper or lower surface of the other wingportion. Preferably, the flap-like sheet, or at least the portionthereof intended to cover the gap, is of sufficient length to extendalong a substantial portion of the length of the gap.

The gap in the drape of the present invention may vary in width fromsubstantially zero inches (as would be the case if a slit were formed inthe sheet by cutting it with a knife or scissors) up to the diameter ofthe limb on which surgery is to be performed. The latter dimensiondepends on the size of the limb on which surgery is to be performed, butnormally would be expected to be, for example, from about 3 inches toabout 5 inches in the case of an operation on the thigh portion of theleg. A gap measuring from about 2 inches to about 4 inches in widthwould be suitable for arm surgery. The gap extends from an outer edge ofthe drape and terminates inwardly of the drape.

In another embodiment of the present invention, each of the wingportions of the drape has a flap-like sheet at its inner edge. Such adrape can be used, will be seen hereinafter, to provide a double layerof draping material which can either overlie parts of the body adjacentthe site of surgery or which can be arranged under a limb which is to besubjected to surgery.

As used herein, the term nonwoven fabric" includes a layer ofoverlapping, intersecting fibers which are bonded by suitable adhesivemeans, as well as paper made from short length fibers using conventionalpaper making techniques.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be betterunderstood upon reading the following detailed description and uponreference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of a surgical drape inaccordance with the present invention, with the drape being folded outflat and with the flap-like sheet of the drape being folded back uponone wing portion to reveal the gap in the drape;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view at an enlarged scale taken along lines22 of FIG. 1 and showing the manner in which the flap-like sheet isattached to the wing;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the drape of FIG. 1, but showing theflap-like sheet in a position overlying a substantial portion of thelength of the gap and covering part of the other wing portion of thedrape;

FIGS. 4a, 4b, and 4c are partial top plan views showing alternativearrangements for attaching the flap-like sheet to the wing portion;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a drape similar to that shown in FIG. 1with the addition ofa reinforcing panel on its upper surface;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of a surgical drapewherein each of the wing portions has a flap-like sheet;

- -IG. 7 is a cross-sectional view at an enlarged scale zen along lines7-7 of FIG. 6 and showing the manr in which the flaps are attached tothe wings; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the drape of FIG. 6 swingeach flap-like sheet folded and overlying the ng portion to which it isattached and showing in bron lines the fold lines for the longitudinalfolding of drape; FIG. 9 is a plan view similar to FIG. 6, showing theape in an intermediate stage of folding wherein the p-like sheets havebeen folded transversely and the ain portion of the drape has beenfolded longitudi- "y; FIG. 10 is a diagrammatical cross-sectional view(en along lines 10-10 of FIG. 9; FIG. 11 is a top plan view, at anenlarged scale, of the ape of FIG. 6 after the longitudinal foldingthereof been completed; FIG. 12 is a diagrammatical cross-sectional viewken along lines l212 of FIG. 11; and FIGS. 13-18 are perspective viewsshowing the serence of steps in draping a patient for leg surgery withdrape of the type shown in FIGS. 6l2.

)ETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION While the invention will bedescribed in connection 1th its preferred embodiments, it will beunderstood at it is not intended to limit the invention to those em-)diments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all ternatives,modifications and equivalents as may becluded within the spirit andscope of the invention as :fined by the appended claims.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1-3, which IOW one embodiment ofthe present invention, surgilI drape 10 comprises a flexible sheet 11made from single piece of a suitable drapable material. Preferay, thematerial is a drapable nonwoven fabric, such as scrim reinforced tissueor a wet-formed nonwoven )ntaining long fibers. Flexible sheet 11comprises a ,ain portion 12 at one end thereof, and a pair of iacedwings and 30 at the other end thereof. The :rimeter of the drapecomprises opposed side edges 5 and 17 and bottom edge 15.

Wing portions 20 and 30 are integral with, and ex- :nd outwardly from,main portion 12. Wing portion 20 as an inner side edge 24 and an upperedge 26. Correondingly, wing portion 30 has an inner side edge 34 1d anupper edge 36. The upper edges of the wing porons define the upper edgeof the drape.

Drape 10 has a gap 45 at least part of which is dened by the adjacentinner edges of the wing portions ad which extends from the upper edge ofthe drape inardly to a generally central portion thereof. The gap as anopen end, i.e., an end which communicates with re outer edge of thedrape, and a closed end, i.e., an nd which is located generallycentrally of the drape. he closed end of the gap may be of any desiredconfigration.

When, for example, the inner edges of the wing porons are linear, thegap will assume the configuration f an elongated rectangle (the width ofwhich will be etermined by the distance between the adjacent inner dgesof the wing portions) and the closed end of the ap will be squared off."Where the adjacent inner dges of the wing portions have curved portionsinardly of the drape, the closed end of the gap will asume a curvedconfiguration. Preferably the closed end of the gap has a curvedconfiguration such as that shown in FIG. 1 since, as'will be seenhereinafter, this provides a drape which more readily conforms to thecontours of the. body whenthe drape is in use.

Inner side edge 34 of wing portion 30 carries a flap ofdrapable-material, which, as illustrated in FIG. 3, may be folded acrossgap and lie in overlapping relationship with wing portion 20. AlthoughFIG. 3 shows flap 40 overlying and covering part of the upper surface ofwing 20, it is also contemplated that these two elements may be arrangedso that wing 20 overlies sheet 40. This will be described in greaterdetail in connection with the detailed description hereinafter of theunfolding and use of the drape. The term overlapping relationship isused herein to describe both of the above mentioned arrangements ofsheet 40 and wing portion 20.

Flap 40 has a lower edge 41, an upper edge 42, and side edges 43 and 44.The lower and upper edges of flap 40 are substantially equal in lengthand are sufficiently long so that the flap can be folded across gap 45and lie in overlapping relationship with at least part of wing 20.Referring especially to FIG. 3, it is seen that the length of the flapalong side edges 43, 44 is somewhat less than the length of gap 45. Flap40 runs inwardly along inner edge 34 from a point inward of the upperedge of wing 30 to a point near the closed end of gap 45.

The particular part of wing 30 to which flap 40 is attached is notcritical, provided, of course, that the flap can be folded across thegap'and lie in the aforementioned overlapping relationship with wing 20.Preferabl-y, however, the flap is attached to the wing at or near itsinner side edge 34, since a minimum amount of ma terial is thus requiredand unnecessary bulkin'ess in the folded drape is eliminated. Asillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 flap 40 is fastened, along a line adjacentits side edge 44, to the upper surface of wing 30 a slight distance fromits inner side edge 34. This is convenientlyaccomplished by stitching(indicated by dashed line 39 in FIGS. 1 and 2), but other fasteningmeans, such as an adhesive, may be employed if so desired.

The manner of attaching the flap to the wing is illustrated in FIG. 2. Amarginal portion of flap 40 adjacent its side edge 44 is rolled beneaththe remainder of the flap so that part of upper surface 46 of the flapis disposed in a face-to-face relationship with upper surface 32 of wing30. As mentioned, the flap is conveniently secured to the wing bystitching 39. When the flap is attached to the wing in the manner justdescribed, there will be no folds or bulky portions on the upper surfaceof the drape when the drape is in use. I

It will be apparent that the flap can be attached to the wing in otherways. For example, a portion of the flap adjacent its upper edge 42could be secured by stitching 39, or other securing means, to wing 30near its upper edge 36 (see FIG. 40). Alternatively, the flap could beattached to the wing at, or near, side edge 16 of the drape (FIG. 4b)orat some point intermediate inner edge 34 and the outer edge of thewing (FIG. 40).

The drape of the present invention may be made from the well known linenmaterials, such as woven cotton cloth, commonly used in hospitals.Preferably, however, flexible sheet 11 (comprising main portion 12 andwing portions 20 and 30) and flap 40 comprise a nonwoven fabric ofadequate tensile and tear strength. The nonwoven fabric should berelatively soft and have good draping and folding characteristics.Additionally, of course, the nonwoven fabric must be capable of beingsubjected to a sterilization treatment without being adversely effectedthereby. The use of nonwoven fabrics eliminates the laundering,resterilization, and handling costs associated with linen drapes, sincedrapes made from nonwoven fabrics are discarded after use. The use ofnonwovens in surgical drapes is well known and the selection of anonwoven fabric having the above mentioned qualities is within the skillof those working in this art. More preferably, the nonwoven fabric usedin constructing the drape is, or is treated to be, repellent to liquidssuch water, body fluids and other liquids commonly encountered duringsurgery. In this way any liquids which come into contact with the majorsurfaces of the drape are prevented from striking through the drape andestablishing a path for the transmission of bacteria. Methods forrendering nonwoven fabrics repellent to liquids are well known in theart and are not part of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a modification of the surgicaldrape of FIGS. l3. The drape has a reinforcing panel 48 on its uppersurface in the regions adjacent gap 45. The reinforcing panel maycomprise one or more layers of the aforementioned flexible materials.Preferably, however, the reinforcing panel has an absorbent uppersurface 48a and an impervious plastic film (shown as dotted line 49 inFIG. 5) between the absorbent surface and the main sheet of the drape.The upper surface of the reinforcing panel provides absorbency at theoperation site to absorb body and other fluids encountered duringsurgery. The impervious plastic film in the reinforcing panel preventsfluids from striking through the drape to the patient. The reinforcingpanel can be affixed to the drape by, for example, a suitable adhesive.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown another embodiment of thepresent invention. Drape 50 is generally the same as drape of FIGS. 1-3except that each of its wing portions carries a flap-like sheet. Drape50 comprises a sheet 51 of drapable material having a main portion 52and opposed wing portions 60 and 70 extending therefrom. The drape has agap 85 which extends inwardly from the top edge of the drape and whichis defined by inner side edges 64 and 74 of wings 60 and 70,respectively. The drape also has a bottom edge 55, a bottom portion 55'adjacent said bottom edge, and side edges 56 and 57. The drape has anupper surface (the surface exposed to the viewer in FIG. 6) and a lowersurface (the surface not seen by the viewer in FIG. 6).

Flap 80 is attached to wing 60 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 7. Amarginal portion of flap 80 is folded over inner edge 64 of wing 60 andcontinued a short distance along lower surface 63 of the wing. The flapmay be secured to the lower surface of the wing by, for example, asuitable adhesive 65. Similarly, flap 80' is folded over inner edge 74and is secured to lower surface 73 of wing 70. If desired, the flaps maybe secured to the wings in the same manner as flap 40 is attached towing 30, that is, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2.

FOLDING OF THE DRAPE Drapes of the present invention may be folded intoa compact unit which facilitates handling during packaging and storageand which permits the drape to be easily and quickly applied to thepatient prior to surgery.

As used herein a forward fold" is a fold in which the upper surface isturned toward the upper surface of the drape around a fold line. Areverse fold is a fold in which the upper surface of the drape is turnedtoward the bottom surface of the drape around a fold line. In thedrawings, the letter R indicates a reverse fold and the letter Findicates a forward fold. The numbers preceding the letters F and Rrefer to the order in which the folding is done.

The preferred method for folding drape 50 from end to end is illustratedin FIGS. 8-12. As seen in FIG. 8, flaps 80 and 80' are fan-folded toform two stacks of folds overlying wings 60 and 70, respectively. Mainportion 52 of the drape is folded next. Bottom portion 55 adjacentbottom edge 55 of sheet 51 is forward folded, toward the center of thedrape, around fold line 1F. The main portion is then reverse foldedaround fold line 2R, forward folded around fold line 3F, reverse foldedaround fold line 4R, and forward folded around fold line 5F.

As best seen in FIG. 8, upper end portion 53 of main portion 52 isdefined by fold line 5F, the sides of the drape, and transverse line 54(shown in dot and dash) along which the wings extend from main portion52. Thus, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the above described foldingsequence provides a stack A of folds which overlies a substantial partof the upper surface of end portion 53.

The wings (with their flaps already fan-folded as shown in FIG. 8) arefolded next. A part of wing adjacent upper edge 76 thereof is forwardfolded around fold line 6F. Thereafter wing 70 is reverse folded aroundfold line 7R and forward folded around fold line 8F. It will be observedthat the closed endof gap 85 is disposed between fold line 8F andtransverse line 54. As seen in FIG. 12, this folding of wing 70(including its associated flap 80') provides a stack B of folds whichoverlies stack A of folds. Wing 60, with its flap 80, is then folded inthe manner just described for wing 70 to provide a stack C of foldswhich overlies stack A of folds. FIG. 11 shows drape 50 after it hasbeen folded in accordance with the above described folding procedure. Itwill be noticed that the closed end of the gap is now exposed to view atthe upper portion of the folded unit. This positioning of the closed endof the gap greatly facilitates placement of the drape prior to surgery,as the limb on which surgery is to be performed will extend through thisportion of the gap when the patient is completely draped.

Each end of the drape in the elongated, longitudinally folded form shownin FIG. 11 may then be folded, toward the center, to give a finalcompactly folded drape. Although an ordinary fan fold is suitable forthis purpose, it is preferred that a modified fan fold be used. The termfan-folded refers to a folding sequence in which the material beingfolded has alternate forward and reverse folds. The term modified fanfold refers to a folding sequence which is similar to a fan fold but inwhich the first two folds thereof are of the same type. An example of amodified fan fold sequence is forward, forward, reverse, forward,reverse, forward.

Thus, the transverse folding of the partially folded drape shown in FIG.I 1 is begun from side edge 56 with aforward fold. The second fold islikewise a forward fold while the third fold is a reverse fold. Theforward and reverse fold sequence may subsequently be repeated until thedesired degree of compactness is obtained. The transverse folding of thedrape from side edge 57 toward the center is accomplished in the samemanner.

APPLICATION OF THE DRAPE TO THE PATIENT Referring now to FIGS. 13-18,there is illustrated in stepwise fashion a method of applying the drapeof FIG. 8, folded described, to a patient about to undergo surgery onthe right knee. FIG. 13 shows drape 50, unfolded from side to side,placed across the upper thigh portions of the patients body with the gapthereof more or less lined up with the patients right leg. An assistantstationed at the patients left side unfolds stack B of folds toward thepatients feet to cover the patients left leg. As shown in FIG. 14, thisexposes flap 80 in its folded position overlying wing 60. An assistanton the right side of the patient lifts the patients right leg upwardly(See FIG. 15) and unfolds flap 80 across the operating table. Whilestill holding the patients right leg in the upraised position shown inFIG. 15, the assistant on the right side of the patient then unfoldsstack C of folds toward the patients right foot. As shown in FIG. 16,wing 70 now overlies flap 80 and flap 80' is exposed in its foldedconfiguration overlying wing 70. While the patients right leg is stillupwardly raised, the assistant on the left of the patient unfolds flap80' across the operating table. As shown in FIG.

17, flap-like sheet 80' now overlies part of wing 60 and there isadvantageously provided a double thickness of draping material betweenthe operating table and the leg on which surgery is to be performed.Referring to FIG. 18, the patient's right leg is lowered so that it lieson the upper surface of wing 70 (and possibly also on part of flap 80).The draping procedure is completed by unfolding stack A of folds towardthe patients head, so that the main portion of the drape covers theupper torso of the patient.

It will be recognized that, once the draping is completed, the limb onwhich surgery is to be performed will extend through the closed end ofthe gap and will be contacted with the drape material. This arrangementadvantageously isolates the patient from various fluids, such as bloodand the like, which are normally encountered during surgery. Thus theremaining portions of the patients body, that is, those on which nosurgery is to be performed, are protected from bacteria originating inthe operative area. Similarly, the operative site is protected fromcontamination by bacteria originating from areas remote from theoperative site.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that drape 10 of FIGS.l-3 may be folded in the manner described herein for drape 50. Drape 10,of course, has two wings, but only one of the two wings has a flap.Drape 10, when folded longitudinally, would look substantially likedrape 50 in the folded form illustrated in FIG. 11, each wing beingfolded into a stack of folds. If the wing having the flap be firstunfolded longitudinally, and the flap attached thereto be next extendedtransversely (while the limb to be operated on is uplifted), then theflap would be under the otherwing after the latter is subsequentlyunfolded longitudinally. Where the wing without the flap is firstunfolded longitudinally and the wing having the flap is next unfoldedlongitudinally, the flap, after it has been unfolded transversely, wouldlie over the wing without the flap.

What is claimed is:

l. A surgical drape comprising a sheet of flexible, drapable material,said sheet having a main portion at one end thereof and a pair of spacedwings at the other end thereof, said wings extending outwardly from acentral region of said sheet and defining a gap in said sheet; and aflap on at least one of said wings, said flap being transverselyextendible from said one wing so as to cover at least a portion of saidgap and to lie in contacting relationship with at least part of theother of said pair of wings when the drape is placed on a patient.

2. A surgical drape according to claim 1 wherein said sheet comprises awoven fabric.

3. A surgical drape according to claim 1 wherein said sheet comprises aplastic film.

4. A surgical drape according to claim 1 wherein said sheet comprises anonwoven fabric.

5. A surgical drape according to claim 4 wherein said nonwoven fabric isfluid repellent.

6. A surgical drape according to claim 1 wherein a reinforcing panel issecured to said sheet adjacent said gap.

7. A surgical drape according to claim 6 wherein the upper surface ofsaid reinforcing panel is absorbent.

8. A surgical drape according to claim 7 wherein there is a fluidimpervious element between said sheet and the upper surface of saidreinforcing panel.

9. A surgical drape according to claim 8 wherein the upper surface ofthe reinforcing panel is secured to the fluid impervious element.

10. A surgical drape according to claim 9 wherein said flap is attachedto said wing along a line adjacent the inner side edge of said wing.

11. A surgical drape according to claim 1 wherein the other of said pairof spaced wings has a flap attached thereto.

12. A surgical drape according to claim 11 wherein each flap is attachedto its respective wing along a line adjacent the inner side edgethereof.

13. A surgical drape according to claim 1 wherein said gap comprises acurvilinear portion.

14. A surgical drape according to claim 1 treated to render it sterileand packaged in said sterile condition.

15. A surgical drape comprising a sheet of flexible, drapable material,said sheet having a main portion at one end thereof and a pair of spacedwings at the other end thereof, said wings extending outwardly from acentral region of said sheet and defining a gap in said sheet; and aflap attached to at least one of said wings, said flap beingtransversely extendible from said one wing so as to cover at least aportion of said gap and to lie in contacting relationship with at leastpart of the other of said pair of wings, said main portion being foldedto form a first stack of folds overlying a portion of said sheet, saidflap on said one wing being folded to overlie said one wing, said onewing with its said overlying flap and the other of the two spaced wingseach being folded to form stacks of folds overlying said first stack offolds and said portion of said sheet.

16. A drape according to claim 15 treated to render it sterile andpackaged in said sterile condition.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION P tent N 3,910,268Dated October 7, 1975 Inventor(s) Shi py in Miller age 1 Of 2 It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Columns 3 and 4 should appear as shown on the attached sheet Signed andSealed this thirteenth Day Of April1976 [SEAL] Arrest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer (ummissiuncr nflarw'nsand Trademarks PEG. '7 is a cross-sectional view at an enlarged scaletaken along lines "i? of HO. 6 and showing the manner in which the flapsare attached to the wings;

8 is a perspective view of the drape of HO. 6 showing each flap-likesheet folded and overlying the wing portion to which it is attached andshowing in broken lines the fold lines for the longitudinal folding ofthe drape; 7

FIG. 9 is a plan view similar to FIG. 6, showing the drape in anintermediate stage of folding wherein the flap-like sheets have beenfolded transversely and the main portion of the drape has been foldedlongitudi nally;

FlG. it) is a diagrammatical cross-sectional view taken along linesill-ill of Z-lG. 9;

FIG. H is a top plan view, at an enlarged scale, of the drape of HG. 6after the longitudinal folding thereof has been completed;

H6. 12 is a diagrammatical cross-sectional view taken a-ong lines i2-ll2of HQ. 11', and

FlGS. ll3-llrl are perspective views showing the sequence of steps indraping a patient for leg surgery with a drape of the type shown inFlGS. 6-H.

DETAlLED DESCRlPTiON OF THE INVENTION While the invention will bedescribed in connection with its preferred embodiments, it will beunderstood that it is not intended to limit the invention to thoseernbodirnents. On the contrary, it is intended to cover allalternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Referring more particularly to FlGS. 1-3, which show one embodiment ofthe present invention, surgical drape it) comprises a flexible sheet 31made from a single piece of a suitable drapable material. Preferably,the material is a drapable nonwoven fabric, such as a scrim reinforcedtissue or a wet-formed nonwoven containing long fibers. Flexible sheet11 comprises a main portion R2 at one end thereof, and a pair of spacedwings and at the other end thereof. The perimeter of the drape comprisesopposed side edges l6 and i7 and bottom edge 15.

Wing portions 20 and 30 are integral with, and extend outwardly from,main portion l2. Wing portion 20 has an inner side edge 24 and an upperedge 26. Correspondingly, wing portion 30 has an inner side edge 34 andan upper edge 36. The upper edges of the wing portions define the upperedge of the drape.

Drape it) has a gap 45 at least part of which is defined by the adjacentinner edges of the wing portions and which extends from the upper edgeof the drape inwardly to a generally central portion thereof. The gaphas an open end, i.e., an end which communicates with the outer edge ofthe drape, and a closed end, i.e., an end which is located generallycentrally of the drape. The closed end of the gap may be of any desiredconfiguration.

When, for example, the inner edges of the wing portions are linear, thegap will assume the configuration of an elongated rectangle (the widthof which will be determined by the distance between the adjacent inneredges of the wing portions) and the closed end of the gap will besquared off." Where the adjacent inner edges of the wing portions havecurved portions inwardly of the drape, the closed end of the gap willassume a curved configuration. Preferably the closed end i Page 2 of 2shown in FIG. 1 since, as will be seen hereinafter, this provides adrape which more readily conforms to the contours of the body when thedrape is in use.

lnner side edge 34 of wing portion 30 carries a flap 40 of drapablematerial, which, as illustrated in H6. 3, may be folded across gap 45and lie in overlapping relationship with wing portion 20. Although FIG.3 shows flap 40 overlying and covering part of the upper surface of wing20, it is also contemplated that these two ele= merits may be arrangedso that wing 20 overlies sheet 40. This will be described in greaterdetail in connection with the detailed description hereinafter of theunfolding and use of the drape. The term overlapping relationship" isused herein to describe both of the above mentioned arrangements ofsheet 44 and wing portion 20.

Flap 40 has a lower edge 41, an upper edge 42, and side edges 43 and 44.The lower and upper edges of flap 4x8 are substantially equal in lengthand are sufficiently long so that the flap can be folded across gap 45and lie in overlapping relationship with at least part of wing 20.Referring especially to P16. 3, it is seenthat the length of the flapalong side edges 43, 44 is somewhat less than the length of gap 45. Flap40 runs inwardly along inner edge 34 from a point inward of the upperedge of wing 30 to a point near the closed end of gap 45.

The particular part of wing 30 to which flap 40 is attached is notcritical, provided, of course, that the flap can be folded across thegap and lie in the aforementioned overlapping relationship with wing 20.Preferably, however, the flap is attached to the wing at or near itsinner side edge 34, since a minimum amount of ma terial is thusrequiredand unnecessary bulkiness in the folded drape is eliminated. Asillustrated in FlGS. 2 and 3 flap 49 is fastened, along a line adjacentits side edge 44, to the upper surface of wing 30 a slight distance fromits inner side edge 34. This is conveniently accom plished by stitching(indicated by dashed line 39 in FIGS. 1 and 2), but other fasteningmeans, such as an adhesive, may be employed if so desired.

The manner of attaching the flap to the wing is illus trated in FIG. 2.A marginal portion of flap 40 adjacent its side edge 44 is rolledbeneath the remainder of the flap so that part of upper surface 46 ofthe flap is dis posed in a face-toface relationship with upper surface.32 of wing 30. As mentioned, the flap is conveniently secured to thewing by stitching 39. When the flap is attached to the wing in themanner just described, there will be no folds or bulky portions on theupper surface of the drape when the drape is in use.

It will be apparent that the flap can be attached to the wing in otherways. For example, a portion of the flap adjacent its upper edge 42could be secured by stitching 39, or other securing means, to wing 30near its upper edge as (see FIG. 4a). Alternatively, the flap could beattached to the wing at, or near, side edge 16 of the drape (FIG. 41;)or at some point intermediate inner edge 34 and the outer edge of thewing (FIG. 4c).

The drape of the present invention may be made from the well known"linen" materials, such as woven cotton cloth, commonly used inhospitals. Preferably, however, flexible sheet 11 (comprising mainportion 12 and wing portions 20 and 30) and flap 40 comprise a nonwovenfabric of adequate tensile and tear strength. The nonwoven fabric shouldbe relatively soft and have

1. A surgical drape comprising a sheet of flexible, drapable material,said sheet having a main portion at one end thereof and a pair of spacedwings at the other end thereof, said wings extending outwardly from acentral region of said sheet and defining a gap in said sheet; and aflap on at least one of said wings, said flap being transverselyextendible from said one wing so as to cover at least a portion of saidgap and to lie in contacting relationship with at least part of theother of said pair of wings when the drape is placed on a patient.
 2. Asurgical drape according to claim 1 wherein said sheet comprises a wovenfabric.
 3. A surgical drape according to claim 1 wherein said sheetcomprises a plastic film.
 4. A surgical drape according to claim 1wherein said sheet comprises a nonwoven fabric.
 5. A surgical drapeaccording to claim 4 wherein said nonwoven fabric is fluid repellent. 6.A surgical drape according to claim 1 wherein a reinforcing panel issecured to said sheet adjacent said gap.
 7. A surgical drape accordingto claim 6 wherein the upper surface of said reinforcing panel isabsorbent.
 8. A surgical drape according to claim 7 wherein there is afluid impervious element between said sheet and the upper surface ofsaid reinforcing panel.
 9. A surgical drape according to claim 8 whereinthe upper surface of the reinforcing panel is secured to the fluidimpervious element.
 10. A surgical drape according to claim 9 whereinsaid flap is attached to said wing along a line adjacent the inner sideedge of said wing.
 11. A surgical drape according to claim 1 wherein theother of said pair of spaced wings has a flap attached thereto.
 12. Asurgical drape according to claim 11 wherein each flap is attached toits respective wing along a line adjacent the inner side edge thereof.13. A surgical drape according to claim 1 wherein said gap comprises acurvilinear portion.
 14. A surgical drape according to claim 1 treatedto render it sterile and packaged in said sterile condition.
 15. Asurgical drape comprising a sheet of flexible, drapable material, saidsheet having a main portion at one end thereof and a pair of spacedwings at the other end thereof, said wings extending outwardly from acentral region of said sheet and defining a gap in said sheet; and aflap attached to at least one of said wings, said flap beingtransversely extendible from said one wing so as to cover at least aportion of said gap and to lie in contacting relationship with at leastpart of the other of said pair of wings, said main portion being foldedto form a first stack of folds overlying a portion of said sheet, saidflap on said one wing being folded to overlie said onE wing, said onewing with its said overlying flap and the other of the two spaced wingseach being folded to form stacks of folds overlying said first stack offolds and said portion of said sheet.
 16. A drape according to claim 15treated to render it sterile and packaged in said sterile condition.